Cleopatra’s father was known as Ptolemy XII. Her father was also
known as Auletes or the Piper because he played the flute. But just
like the Ptolemy era before him, her father’s reign was filled with
greed, corruption, and hard labor. The manner in which he ruled his
empire did not offer very many benefits to the general public. This
of course made him very unpopular; however, he ensured that his
children were well taken care of in spite of his harsh rule over his
kingdom.
Ptolemy XII had six children and all his siblings enjoyed Egypt’s
finest luxury. He provided his children with the best foods and with
clothing of the highest quality. In addition, his children attended
the fanciest ceremonies and banquets. Although he spoiled his
children to the utmost of his ability, he also believed that
education was very important; therefore, he ensured that each child
had his/her own tutors. They were also provided with servants to
oversee their every need. Because of this attention to education,
Cleopatra studied philosophy, literature, art, music, medicine, and
was able to speak six different languages. These languages were
Aramaic, Egyptian, Ethiopic, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. Being very
educated, she soon learned of all her political surroundings and of
her father’s status and power he had as pharaoh. Because of this
education and knowledge, Cleopatra as well as her siblings, longed
to be in power and to control.
The palace was filled with Ptolemy’s children and they all were very
ambitious. This was not safe because they all wanted to be in power
and no one could be trusted. Cleopatra knew that many of her family
members were killed by relatives so she had to make sure that she
kept a close watch on all the people that were close to her. Because
there were no laws governing who the next ruler or pharaoh would be,
Auletes would have to choose one of his children to rule after his
death. Of course, the tradition of choosing the next pharaoh added
tension to the relationship of all the siblings and relatives and
all those who were willing to do whatever it took to attain the
throne.
While the siblings at the palace of Alexandria were competing for
the throne, Rome was expanding its territory and the three most
powerful generals (Julius Caesar, Cnaeus Pompeious Magnus (Pompey),
and Marcus Licinius) were on their way to creating history. Auletes
feared that one day the mighty soldiers of Rome would bring their
armed forces to Alexandria and that the Ptolemaic Dynasty would end.
He was also afraid that Roman laws and taxes would be imposed on the
citizens of Egypt.
Because Auletes did not want to lose his throne to the Romans, he
devised a plan to ensure his rule. Auletes went to Rome and asked
Caesar and Pompey to recognize him as the legal ruler of Egypt and
to proclaim him a comrade and ally of Rome. Both powerful rulers
agreed to do this; however it came at a high cost. This was to cost
Auletes 6,000 talents. He didn’t have all the money to pay such a
large sum so he borrowed from a wealthy Roman. After he borrowed the
money, the plan fell through and soon he discovered that there were
several plots devised to destroy him. He knew that he needed more
help so he returned to Rome for help. It was during this trip that
the oldest daughter, Cleopatra Tryphaina (Cleopatra’s older sister),
seized the throne.
Auletes was outraged but he was also desperate and he needed help.
He found a well-known Roman named Aulus Gabinius, who agreed to
restore his kingship, but only at a high price. This would now cost
him 10,000 talents. While on his way to recover his throne,
Cleopatra Tryphaina was killed and overthrown by her sister
Berenice. This proved to be a fatal mistake because she was quickly
overthrown and executed by Auletes followers. So both of the women
were killed and Auletes restored his reign. Auletes was only to keep
the throne two years after regaining it as he died in the spring of
51 B.C. His will stated that Cleopatra, who was 18 at the time,
would marry her brother Ptolemy XIII. Ptolemy XIII was only ten
years old at that time and they were to rule together.
It was said that Cleopatra’s intelligence far outweighed her looks.
According to Plutarch, a Greek essayist and biographer, Cleopatra
was supposedly an irresistible person by her conversation and it was
written that she was a bewitching character. It was said that she
was a pleasure to be around, but because she was not considered to
be a beauty, she had to rely on her intelligence to get to the top
of the power chain. In addition, she had to come up with a plan to
remove her ten year old brother from power.
Because her brother was only ten at the time he could easily be
influenced. However, he had three crooked advisers at his disposal.
They were Pothinus, Achillas, and Theodotus, and all three also
wanted to control Egypt. Each of these advisors helped him make the
daily decisions for Egypt and they also influenced him in many ways.
They especially influenced how he was to rule Egypt. Pothinus was
the person who managed the guards as well as all the servants. The
servants included maids, cooks, and gardeners. Achillas commanded
the Egyptian army and Pothinus taught the boy public speaking. All
three of his advisors hated Cleopatra and would stop at nothing to
remove her from power because they all wanted the power for
themselves. It was to their benefit that Ptolemy XIII be the sole
pharaoh and that Cleopatra be taken out of the picture altogether.
It just so happened that during Cleopatra’s first two years as
queen, the Nile did not flood and therefore things were not as
plentiful. Citizens in Alexandra were suffering from famine and this
caused rebellion among the people. Of course, Pothinus found a way
to blame Cleopatra for these hard times in Egypt and this helped to
spread many lies about Cleopatra throughout the kingdom. Soon, the
citizens were holding her responsible for all their turmoil. The
odds were now against her and the people began to hate her. Her
brother and his advisors were also out to destroy her. She soon left
for Syria and gathered a small army where she planned to someday
return to Egypt and again reclaim the throne.
Meanwhile, the three Roman leaders (known as the Triumvirate)
soon came to an end. Crassus died in Parthia fighting while Pompey
and Caesar turned against each other. This conflict between the two
remaining men led to a civil war that was won by Caesar at Pharsalia
in Greece. Caesar, who defeated his friend, became the world’s most
powerful man. Pompey and his army, accepting defeat, sailed to Egypt
seeking help. Achillas, Pothinus, and Theodotus saw another
opportunity when Pompey arrived. They planned to murder him hoping
that this would gain Caesar’s appreciation and he would help them
wipe out Cleopatra.
Achillas, Pothinus, and Theodotus saw another opportunity when
Pompey arrived. They planned to murder him hoping that this would
gain Caesar’s appreciation and he would help them wipe out
Cleopatra.
